Garden Project Community Engagement Specialist - Bath Charter Township
11 hours ago
Job description
Applications reviewed on rolling basis. Interviews to begin immediately.INGHAM COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT PUBLIC HEALTH AMERICORPS is a national service program. Members are not employees, volunteers or interns.
Term of Service: 3/23/2026 to 09/30/ weeks)
Slot Type and Minimum Service Hours:
Half Time; 900 Hours (34 hrs/week on average)
Living Allowance:
$11,000, disbursed in equal bi-weekly increments across service term
POSITION DETAILS
Host Site:
Greater Lansing Food Bank (GLFB)
Position Title:
Garden Project Community Engagement Specialist
Reports To:
Martha Hentz – Garden Project Manager
ABOUT THE HOST SITE
Garden Project, a program of Greater Lansing Food Bank, partners with mid-Michigan communities to increase access to nutritious food by providing garden space and food-growing resources.
Garden Project supports a network of over 90 community gardens, each with a different personality and focus.Some are allotment-style gardens which offer gardeners the ability to grow food for their own consumption, some are donation gardens where the community grows collectively to support a food pantry, community kitchen, or other food support agency, and some gardens are associated with schools and focus on the educational aspects of growing.
Garden Project offers free seeds, plants, a tool lending library, select gardening supplies, and educational materials to support low-to-moderate income gardeners.
Most of these services are offered through the Garden Project Resource Center, a garden supply hub located in Lansing's Foster Park.
The Resource Center holds open hours during the growing season to distribute these resources to both home and community gardeners.
Additional resources are offered at other locations during specific distribution events that target local communities or cultural groups. Garden Project grows over 40 hard-to-find, culturally-familiar specialty crops that are distributed through these events.MEMBER IMPACT
The community engagement specialist will serve to expand gardeners' capacity to grow fresh, healthy food and to build community.
They will serve closely with almost every team member on a variety of tasks that will fluctuate throughout the growing season, allowing the member to gain a wide range of experiences while also significantly increasing the Garden Project team's ability to provide services to constituents.
The member will have the opportunity to serve directly with the resources we provide by helping to grow vegetable transplants in the greenhouse and by distributing these transplants and seeds through various distribution events.
They will serve with the community garden network through hands-on activity in the gardens (plotting, doing plot checks) and by serving directly with the gardeners (assisting with gardener registration and opening meetings).
The member will also have the chance to organize, manage, train and learn to love the Garden Project volunteers at both the Resource Center and the Demonstration Garden, and they will help to gather and interpret data to help Garden Project improve its services.
This will be a fun and impactful seven months for the member and an extra-productive growing season for Garden Project as we enjoy the assistance, skills, and passion of the AmeriCorps member.
Responsibilities:
Assist Garden Project staff with gardener registration
Assist Garden Project staff with greenhouse plant propagation activities
Assist Garden Project staff with the preparation and management of the Garden Project Resource Center, a garden supply hub for low-income gardeners
Assist Garden Project staff with community garden infrastructure activities such as plotting and plot checks
Engage gardeners to gather feedback/survey data collection
Help oversee volunteers at the Resource Center and in the Garden Project Demonstration Garden
Minimum Knowledge and Skills:
Ability to interact with individuals from diverse cultural, socio-economic, and ethnic backgrounds with respect, comfort, and sensitivity.
Passion for promoting local food systems, community health, and creating a hunger-free community
Competence and comfort with both individual and group communication with Garden Project gardeners, volunteers, community partners and staff. Verbal phone conversations will be expected.
Competence and comfort with computer applications including Microsoft Excel and electronic communication platforms; willingness to learn new applications
Ability to lift 40 pounds with reasonable accommodations
Valid driver's license, ability to get chauffeur's license (reimbursable), and reliable transportation
Working mobile "smart" phone for taking photos and communicating while out of the office
Desired Knowledge and Skills:
Gardening/farming/horticulture experience preferred.
Proficiency in a language other than English (not necessary but would be lovely).
Service Conditions:
This position requires in-person attendance at various locations: The Garden Project office is located at 5600 Food Court in Bath, MI Additional locations include the Garden Project Resource Center (2401 Marcus St, at the south end of Foster Park in Lansing 48912), the Hill greenhouse (5815 Wise Rd, Lansing, 48911), and at various community garden locations, most of which are located in the greater Lansing area but some extend throughout Greater Lansing Food Bank's 7 county region.
The Garden Project administrative office is an open-concept office with individual desks for each team member. Other service locations involve outdoor, desk-free, get-your-hands-in-the-soil (fun) activities. Outdoor service involves all manner of weather conditions. Sturdy, weather-proof boots, garden gloves, and a good sense of humor are recommended.
Service Schedule:
Required service hours include Wednesday mornings 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Thursday evenings from 4 – 7:30 p.m. and Fridays from 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. from mid-April through mid-June for programming.
Other days/times are flexible and will vary according to the tasks assigned during different parts of the growing season.
Some weekend and evening hours are ideal, since this is when gardeners can more easily be found in the gardens.
Garden Project is happy to work with the AmeriCorps member to find a schedule that works for both parties.Members are required to participate and attend monthly ICHD Public Health AmeriCorps professional development, quarterly ICHD AmeriCorps professional development, participate in events including national service days, and regional and local service projects.
Sick or personal days are allowed, but members lose possible days to earn the required number of hours needed to successfully complete the term of service.
There are additional benefits offered if the member has a compelling personal circumstance.Host Site - Professional Development and Training:
At this time, there are no trainings or workshops scheduled during the service time frame.
AMERICORPS PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS
- Participate in monthly ICHD PHA AmeriCorps Training and Professional Development in topics like grant-writing and resume development
- Participate in National Days of Service (9/11 Day of Service, MLK Day of Service, Russ Mawby Regional Day of Service, Youth Volunteer Day)
- Attend AmeriCorps orientation at the Ingham County Health Department
- All members will participate in an end of service performance evaluation
- All members will be required to submit bi-weekly time sheets, quarterly data reports, and all other data tasks requested by the Host Site
Public Health AmeriCorps Members should possess:
- a desire and ability to work with a diverse group of people;
- a willingness to learn and serve others;
- an ability to work independently and in a team environment successfully, and
- strong organizational, writing, and oral communication skills, and a high attention to detail
- be 17 years or older at the start of service (no upper age limit)
- be a U.S. citizen, U.S. National, or Lawful Permanent Resident Alien
- Agree to and pass a national service criminal history check with eligibility verification in accordance with 45 CFR
- Loan forbearance and interest repayment available for eligible loans
- End of Service Segal AmeriCorps Education Award of $3,697.50
- $25 per month allowance for mileage reimbursement during each month of service for service related travel
- Up to $130 available in professional development funds
- Member Assistance Program
- Hands-on experience in Public Health
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